Press Releases

Films and Documentaries

ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Continues with There’s No Place Like Home on October 16

Documentary chronicles KU fan on his quest to bring Naismith’s original rules of basketball to Kansas

ESPN Films’ 30 for 30, presented by Buick Verano, will premiere There’s No Place Like Home on Tuesday, October 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPNHD. The film follows one University of Kansas fan on his obsessive quest to win at auction the most important document in sports history—James Naismith’s original rules of basketball—and bring them “home” to Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith coached and taught for more than 40 years.

When superfan Josh Swade discovers through an article in The New York Times that Naismith’s original rules of basketball will be auctioned off on December 10, 2010, he set out on a journey to raise more than $1 million in three weeks. With a short timeline and an ambitious objective, Swade teamed up with an influential Kansas alumnus and the grandson of legendary coach Phog Allen in an effort to make his dream a reality.

The remaining films for this slate of 30 for 30 documentaries will air as follows:

Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m. – There’s No Place Like Home (Maura Mandt and Josh Swade)

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m.– Benji (Coodie and Chike)

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m. – Ghosts of Ole Miss (Fritz Mitchell)

Saturday, Dec. 8, 9 p.m.– You Don’t Know Bo (Michael Bonfiglio)

Each 30 for 30 film will be available on iTunes and Amazon.com the day after its television premiere. The 30 for 30 Film Favorites Collection, a new gift set including the most popular titles from ESPN Films, is now available on DVD. 30 for 30-related updates are available at www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and www.twitter.com/30for30.

About ESPN Films

Created in March 2008, ESPN Films produces high-quality films showcasing compelling sports stories. In October 2009, ESPN Films launched the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated 30 for 30 film series. Inspired by ESPN’s 30th Anniversary, the films that made up the series were a thoughtful and innovative reflection on the past three decades told through the lens of diverse and interesting sports fans and social commentators. Additional projects from ESPN Films include, among others, the critically acclaimed and Television Academy Honor-winning 16th Man, Cannes Film Festival official selection The Two Escobars, and the Peabody Award-winning Black Magic. More recent projects include Catching Hell, from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, and The Announcement, from filmmaker Nelson George. 30 for 30 Volume II has featured documentaries Broke, directed by Billy Corben, and 9.79*, directed by Daniel Gordon. For more information on 30 for 30, go to espn.com/30for30/.